City Diving: Asia’s Deepest Diving Pool in Taiwan

Combining the comfort of a modern hotel stay with the exhilarating experience of diving, the Divecube Hotel in Taiwan brings scuba diving to the city.

The Divecube Hotel, Asia’s first hotel with a pool dedicated to scuba diving and freediving, launched in Taichung, Taiwan last month. Filled with over six million liters of clear, filtered water the 21-meter-deep (69 feet) pool boasts five different depth levels, an artificial shipwreck display and an elaborate cave system.

Divecube is meant to be both a diving playground and training area, allowing landlocked divers the opportunity to go diving in the heart of a major city. The hotel caters to all kinds of guests, from those with no prior training in diving to those who are experienced divers.

“The goal of Divecube Hotel is to bring the ocean closer to city-dwellers, plus to provide an experience like never before,” a representative of the hotel told Deepblu. Such a proposition will be especially interesting for divers from the north of Taiwan, where cold weather and rough seas make diving unfeasible during the winter months.

The pool at the Divecube Hotel is 21 meters (69 feet) deep with five different depth levels.

Divecube opened its doors on February 19th, 2017 with an opening ceremony attended by the company CEO Mr. Jim Wang, hotel employees, community organizations and representatives of the municipal government.

“Our facilities allow city dwellers to have access to the most convenient, swift and safe way to engage in one of the world’s most popular underwater sports,” Mr. Wang wrote in an informational statement promoting the hotel.

At 21 meters (69 feet), the pool is the deepest of its kind in Asia. It spans seven floors from the fourth floor, where divers enter, to three floors below ground level. The ‘underwater shipwreck adventure’ is an artificial shipwreck display that is designed to look like the inside of a ship. More experienced divers can challenge themselves by exploring the artificial coral reef cave system which starts at ten meters and snakes through a tunnel-like labyrinth. Six large windows placed in various spots throughout the pool enhance visual capabilities within the pool and offer divers the unique experience of peering out from underwater towards the surrounding city of Taichung.

Exploring the underwater cave system.

To support the diving activities, the Divecube Hotel operates its own dive shop with an in-house team of diving instructors ready to teach certification courses or guide fun divers. The dive shop offers a full suite of PADI scuba diving and freediving courses as well as fun diving services. Certified divers can dive without an instructor if they have a buddy and are both properly certified.

Dives are priced at $1,500 NTD ($49 USD) per dive and take place according to a set schedule that rotates sessions for scuba diving and freediving throughout the day. Full equipment is provided with the price of a dive, although guests can also bring their own gear. One piece of gear that almost certainly will not be necessary is a wetsuit, as the water temperature in the pool is maintained at a balmy 30°C (86°F).

There are 30 guestrooms in the hotel, with space for two, four and six people. Each room is designed in the style of a cabin, reflecting the atmosphere of being aboard a passenger ship. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, toiletries and free breakfast. Room rates range from $1,800 to $6,000 NTD ($59–$195 USD). The hotel also has conference rooms for hosting meetings and events.